Stuck Together
by FriendsWithBears
Summary: Cyclonis is a soft-spoken girl with a slightly aggressive streak. Piper is an awkward, yet enthusiastic nerd. AU Ciper Currently on Hold.
1. Chapter 1

**Sorry for any and all OOC qualities. It's been a while since I seen the show. Or wrote something. I've been reading a lot of Storm Hawks fanfiction lately, so... yeah. :0 Rated T for occasional swearing and what not.**

The principal leaned forward on his desk. This was a big school, with just under one thousand students attending. One thousand hormonally charged teenagers. It was natural that there would be disruptions. It was natural that he would have to deal with those disruptions from time to time. It was a part of being principal. But this was too much. In the first week of school, he heard of teachers being smart-mouthed, the dress-code being broken, fights breaking out, and lockers being damaged. And it all related to a single student. A new student by the name of Lark.

Now, he had never seen the girl until just now. Judging by what he had heard from the staff, as well as overhearing the chattering of students in the hallway, he imagined the girl as some gruesome girl with piercings, tattoos, and army boots, who would come in, knock some of his stuff around, tell him he is pathetic, and would probably get expelled by the day's end.

The girl in front of him however, was not what he imagined.

"You asked for me?"

"Erm... yes. Take a seat, please."

She did as she was told, pulling up the tiny wooden chair that was there to make any student that sat on it feel smaller. It was a favourite tactic of his.

"Lark, is it? How are you doing, then? Settling in OK, Hmm?" It was best to start off casual, in his book. Ease them in before cutting to the chase.

"I'm doing well," She replied. "Thanks for asking."

The Principal nodded. She seemed sane enough. Polite and soft spoken. The principal began to feel doubt. Something was off about all this. What, he wasn't sure. He decided it would be best to cut to the chase.

"You have a shaky record already, Lark. You have only been here a week, and you've been getting into confrontations with students and teachers alike. I'm also given to understand you've damaged some school property. Is this true?"

"I've been here a week, and your so-called staff have been harassing me for wearing make-up of all things. I've seen other girls go around with their faces caked in it, and yet I'm the only one who gets any attention for it. Also, how is pointing out the hypocrisy is grounds for extra homework on the basis of disrespect." She spat. The venom in her voice was intense. He flinched a little. She had a point, but talking back to the teachers wasn't the best way to go about it. Not if she reacted like this.

"And what of the fighting and locker damage?"

"Oh that. I was approached on the Friday by some moron with blonde hair. He invaded my personal space, so I pushed him into a locker," She spoke matter-of-factly.

Now it made sense. That boy with the blonde hair was Finn Flynn, of course. He had a tendency to come on too strongly.

"Lark, it would seem that you had a bad first week. I can also see where you're coming from, really, but violence is never justified. Look, I think you should see the school's councilor. You obviously have some temperament problems. Go back to class, and after school, be at his office. Understood?"

Cyclonis did all she could not to react badly to this._ Unbelievable. My first week back, and I'm being accused of having temper issues, as well as hav__ing to waste my time talking to some new-age lunatic with a sock puppet yelling about it's okay to express myself. Nonetheless, she nodded slightly._

"Very Good. Now, head back to class."


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow. I made it to the second chapter. I must say, writing this feels sort of relaxing. Though It's a little annoying when I must do the 2nd draft. If I don't, the story comes out way worse for wear. BTW, a shout-out to ClockwerkOrenge. Enjoy, everyone.**

Cyclonis left the principal's office with a slight frown on her face. She would have to tell the guys about this councilling crap.

She looked at her watch. It was only a few minutes until lunch, so rather than going back to class, she made her way to the cafeteria. The smells of mashed potatoes, carrots, and various meats made her mouth water.

She stood infront of the serving counter, waiting for the staff to get a move on. It would be another few minutes before the staff were ready to serve and by then, the room would be packed with students. Until then, there was not much to do. Her reading books were in her bag, which she left in room 42, so that was out. She could take a walk, but that would risk her place in line being taken.

"You're here early." a voice said behind her.

As startled as she was, she did not show it. She turned around to see a girl with a silly blue hair-do and an orange bandana. Lark recognized her from when her brief "fight" with that Finn boy from last Friday. She had a sheepish grin plastered on her face, as if she were uncomfortable.

"So I am." she responded in her usual raspy whisper of a voice.

An awkward silence erupted between them for a few seconds. "Did you want something?" She asked. Lark didn't exactly wish to stir up a conversation with this girl, so she resolved to end it as quickly as possible.

"Um... well, no."

"Very well." She turned around, and tapped her fingers among the iron counter. She could hear a sound of irritation from behind her. However faint, a small smile crept on her lips. For the next two or three minutes, there was complete silence, until the lunch lady finally arrived at the till.

"Whaddya want?" she asked, with a voice that sounded like it's owner regularily ate whole packets of cigarettes.

"Turkey Breast, with Potato and vegetables. Some Pudding too please." She addressed the lunch lady with the same tone she used for her grandmother. The weird girl behind her, sure. She could taunt her into the next century. The lunch lady, however, is not somebody you piss off. Not unless you want your food tainted.

"Alrighty." Lark was handed her meal. She gave the woman a nod before heading to the table in the corner of the hall, and dug in to her meal. If there was one good thing about this place, it was it's food.

Shortly after, the doors flung open, and the caffeteria was buzzing with life. Not to mention, noise.

"Just great." She sighed to herself as she watch the students line up en-masse in the cafeteria, noting that every often one person would skip another, or one would push another, or something of that kin. She admitted to herself, that seeing so many people in one place was ennerving, for one thing.

Up untiil recently, she was homeschooled by her grandmother, and a variety of hired tutors. The most people she had ever seen in a room at one time was three, and that was when her grandmother was arguing with another tutor, and she had accidentally walked in.

Another thing she was unused to- though she was rapidly beginning to get used to- was the impulsiveness of others. Even her companions had this trait. She was taught to maintain a mask of tranquility, even when confronting someone.

She was snapped out of reverie when several people sat down by her table, and was greeted by one after another. Somehow, on her first day here, she managed to pull together her own little social circle. Ths consisted of Dark Ace, Ravess and Snipe.

Dark Ace- for why they called him that, god only knew- was the first to greet her. "Hello, Lark." Despite his intimidating appearance and almost-constant frown, he was pleasant to be around.

The second person to greet her was Ravess. "Hey." She gave a haughty grin. Ravess was the polar opposite of her. Where Lark almost always spoke softly- whenever she spoke at all, that is- Ravess was charismatic and coy. She also had no sense of personal space.

And lastly, there was Snipe. "Hey! You left during maths. Is everything alright?" He asked.

"I told you already, Snipe. The Princess over here was called into the principal. You would have known if you weren't drooling into your textbook."

"Hey!"

"That's enough, the both of you." Dark Ace said, looking between the bickering siblings.

How Ravess and Snipe were siblings, would forever remain a mystery to her. The only thing they had in common were their bloated egos. Then again, she supposed, that would be one thing we all have in common.

"Speaking of your talk with the principal, how did it go?" Dark Ace asked.

"Better than I expected. I'm still here, after all. With that said, he told me I have to start seeing the school councillor." She said, peeling the plastic from the pudding cup.

"That is unfortunate. Did he say why?"

"He said I had anger issues." She said as plainly as she could. The group went silent.

"Hahahaha..." came the joint laughter of both Ravess and Spike.

"Do you**mind?**" he almost roared. "You were saying?" 

Cyclonis raised an eyebrow at his dramatic shift in mood, but said nothing. "He surmised that, while the reasons I was called into the office were largely misunderstood, he still thought I did not deal with them in the proper way."

Once again, the dark ace spoke. "I've only ever seen you lose your temper when _Finn_ came up to you the other day." He spoke the name as if it were a dirty word.

"Passive-Aggressive maybe. But actually aggressive? This guy must be off his nut." Ravess chimed in.

"However "off his nut" he may be, I have to stay here after school for my first session. I'm afraid I cannot join you in... I'm sorry, what did you say you were doing?"

"We were going to my apartment and hang out. You can still come if you want. I'm sure Dark Ace wouldn't mind collecting you, would you?" Ravess said as she shot him an expectant look.

"It's of no trouble. Ravess, you were in Lark's shoes last semester. How long do these sessions last?"

"About an hour, usually."

"Very well. I will collect you later on. Now let's get to our next class before the bell goes. Oh, and before I forget, here." He holds out a black bag. Her bag.

"Oh. Thank you." She said. She had forgotten all about it after her encounter with the weird girl.

"It's no trouble. Now let's go."

**I was going to include a scene where Snipe and Ravess point out his behavior and start mocking him for it. I will probably deal with his attitude towards Lark in a later chapter, probably the next one. I don't need to tell you what tropes I'm manipulating here. "Draco in leather pants" and "Like a sister to me". Though I lack the finesse most other writers have. Eh, the more of this I put out, the better it gets. **


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't know why, but I feel weird not updating this everyday. I don't know why. Hell, most writers don't update for weeks. Months, even. I myself have been guilty of that before. -_- **

**Regardless, here's chapter 3. Enjoy. And yes, The councillor is that Timothy O'Neill kind of stereotype of the overtly sensitive person. **

_'So, this is it?._ She hardly expeected it ot be so... kitsch. Stuffed animals, motivational posters, and religious relics plastered almost every possible inch of space in the room. Adding to the overbearing qualities of the room, was the smell of incense. She could feel the chocolate pudding she ate, trying to make a reappearance.

The councillor was not yet here. In his place, there was a pink sticky note. "I may be a little late. Please wait here." was written on it with red pen. It was almost illegible. She crumpled up the paper and lightly tossed it into the bin that was on the other side of the room.

"Nice shot."

She tensed up at the unexpected voice. She could have sworn she would have noticed somebody enter the room. She slowly turned to the intruder.

It was a hefty man, about eight feet tall and dressed in an absurd Oktoberfest get up. He looked almost egg shaped, and his hair was nothing but two chunks growing out of the side of his head, not unlike that of a clown's.

She tilted her head to the side. _**'**__This must be him.'_

"So, you must be Lark, eh?"

"Yes."

"And how are you feeling right now?" He pulled one of the few seats up, and sat on the in the reverse manner.

"Just dandy." she replied, rolling her eyes.

"That's great!" Apparently, the man wasn't much for picking up on sarcasm. "Now, tell me a little about yourself. Who is "Lark Cyclonis"? What a name by the way,!" he laughed to himself.

"You neglected to tell me your name." She very much doubted she could get away with pushing his buttons. Besides, someone this unbearably jolly has to have a few issues of their own. Regardless, she wasn't going to just go along with whatever this guy asked. That would be too easy.

"Oh? Oh! You're right. My name is Harold. Harold Flower."

Lark blinked. "Harold Flower?" What was it with people having to have _unique _names nowadays? She had heard of some strange names- hers included- but Harold Flower? That couldn't be real.

"Yep. That's me," he squeaked. "Now back to my question. Who are you, per se? Now I know your name, but nobody is made up by their names, now are they? An individual is made up by their thoughts, their hopes, their dreams! So, now that I have clarified myself, tell me about _you._" He beamed.

Silence. To say that Lark wasn't frightened by this man would be a large fib. Nonetheless, she retained the same uptight stance and unaffected composure she always wore. Even if she didn't feel unclean just talking to this man, she could not give him an answer.

Hopes and dreams are worthless. There is no point to them.

When she didn't reply, Harold took her silence in an entirely different way.

"Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry. That was incredibly crass of me. To ask you such personal questions. On our first meeting! No, that's not right at all. Howabout this. You tell me only what you're comfortable with. And don't have to worry to how I will react. You can be perfectly honest with me. I'd like to think of myself, as well as all the councillors worldwide, as the rocks of students in need, everywhere." He droned on in that bizarrely nasal and high-pitched voice. She hated that voice.

_'Well, if he wants me to be honest, I see no trouble in obliging him.' _

"I find you unseemly." The way she naturally spoke made it come across as airy and formal. "I find this whole ordeal unseemly and unnecessary."

True to Harold's words, she did not have to worry about his reaction.

"Unseemly? I'm sorry, am I overdoing it? Coming on too strong, as they say?"

"A tad bit." 

"Alrighty. I'll see if I can dial it down a little. But as for you being here, Lark, I'm sorry, but that's out of my jurisdiction."

"Is that so?" That was convenient. Way too conveninent.

"I'm afriaid so. Bob won't let you go until he himself sees an attitude improvement. So we might as well start again. Tell me about yourself."  
>-<p>

To the casual observer, Lark looked no different than before she entered the room. However, to the keener watchers, one could notice the faintest of scowls adorning her face. That, and the massive deathgrip she had on handle of her schoolbag. Dark Ace had already seen her like this, and knew what it meant. She was livid.

He recalled last Friday, when she was held back by one of the more tactless teachers.

The teacher made no effort to keep his voice down. Dark Ace, as well as every other student could hear what he said.

"This is the third time I have told you to take of that moronic eyeliner. You look like a disturbed banshee."

Lark's reply was too faint to be heard, but he assumed it was something to the effect of "It's not against school rules."

"I don't give a crap. We both know why you're doing this. You want attention. Your parents never taught you to respect authority, or common sense. Hell, I've had the displeasure of teaching that agitated honey badger of a woman myself. Now listen up. My classroom is not a place for acting out. It is a place for education. Either I see you in school on Monday, with that morbid garb off your face, or I'm going to make life very hard for you."

Dark Ace didn't want to see where this was going. He opened the door.

"What are you doing in here? I'm having a private talk with a student! Now get out, or else." 

"Try me." He grabbed Lark by the hand, and led her out of there, safe in the knowledge that, on a whole, Mr Boggart had little power, as few people actually took him seriously. Besides, as a member of the student union, he could get away with murder.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that, Lark. Please ignore him. Everybody else already has."

They drifted through the crowds of people. Sometimes it helped that they were feared, as most people would just move out of their way rather than face a confrontation.

Well, that was the ideal situation, anyway.

"Oof!" Cyclonis, too busy not watching where she was being led by Dark Ace, ended up bumping into someone.

"Hey!- Hey... you're pretty cute." 

She looked up in disgust. Standing before her was a blonde haired boy with a smarmy grin and a grating voice.

He leaned close to lark's side as if they were good friends. "So, do you come here oft- Agh!"

He was interrupted as she pushed him away from her, and continued walking.

Dark Ace, unsure of what to say to what he had just witnessed, simply followed along. Truth be told, this was unnerving. One of the first things he had learnt about Lark was that she had near-impeccable self-control. It wasn't easy to tell what she was feeling, at first. Whether she was happy or sad, nobody could tell because she wore the exact same neutral expression. That was until they got to know her. After that, it either got a lot easier to read her cues, or she was becoming more comfortable with expressing basic emotions. Dark Ace wasn't sure which, but he liked to think it was a bit of both. Regardless, she still wasn't what one would call an emotional individual.

He looked back, to see the kid she pushed into the locker being tended to by his friends. Them, and a very angry Mr. Boggart. What luck.

The same infuriated girl he saw that day, was standing before him now. Why, he had no idea. Nonetheless, he found it in himself the absolute need to find out.

"I take it that you did not enjoy your first session with... Harry Potters, was it?"

"Harold Flower." she droned.

"Yes. Him." He gestured her to follow him to the car.

"If you're up for it, you can tell me on our way to Ravess'."

He was expecting her to decline his offer. Hell, in her current state, he half expected her to yell at him to be quiet. It was surprising to hear her quietly agree to that proposal.

"Alright." She said as if she weren't in a silent rage a few seconds ago.

"Very good. This way."

The halls around this time were glistening with water from the cleaners. A faded wet-floor sign stood solitary in the middle of the hall. In addition, he could hear the strangled humming of the florescent lights, as if they were about to burst at any minute. For a school with such "strict" teachers, they didn't really do much to uphold their image in their school.

He opened the poster-covered side-doors of the school. "After you."

She gave him a quizzical look.

"Sorry." he said sheepishly. "I wasn't thinking."

And with that, they awkwardly walked towards his car.

**I wanted this to be longer, but to be honest, It's best to spew out words when I can.**

**And with this chapter, I cement my title as the self-aware twin of Stepenie Meyer, in terms of writing ability. I also feel I've been abusing the comma. So there's that. Anyway, I hope you had a nice X-mas and a Happy New Year. Another chapter will be churned out soon. Also, Comments and such are my bread and butter. So a little bread and butter would be nice.**

**I'd like to thank Prominence Flare for commenting, and the advice. I wrote most of this before his advice on lessening the amount of dialogue I cram into this story. It wasn't until the near end that I finally figured out what he meant. Or at least I think I did.**

**Anyway, Thanks again, dude. Oh, and one more thing, I need a beta tester. So if anybody is interested in getting to read this drek early, simply PM me.**

**FriendsWithBears out.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Good News, everyone. We have a beta. Giva a round of applause to Prominence Flare for agreeing to betafish. Oh, and as an obvious side note, Suzi-Lu is human in this. The author sent this to me approx. three days ago, but it didn't appear via the website/ I didn't find out until I checked my email. Weird.**

The ride to Ravess' apartment was a slow one. The traffic seemed to go on forever, and the incessant beeping that went on for miles didn't help with Lark's mood much. Dark Ace's radio was turned on to a random radio station, which didn't help matters much. Some random talk show- he quickly flipped it out of boredom.

"We can't let them have their way- it's ungodly! It's against the Lord's will! It says what it says in the good book for a reason, and we can't let these queer blasphemers and nonbelievers..."

The second Dark Ace realized what was on the radio, he hastily twisted the dial- accidentally pulling the thing off in his hurry. Blinking at his sudden misfortune, he grumbled to himself, now thoroughly annoyed that his car was damaged. Dropping the dial into the open compartment between seats, he gave a mental sigh- Snipe would fix it, whether he wanted to or not.

Turning his focus back to the radio, he inwardly grimaced. Replacing the fundamentalist broadcast was some horrible sounding pop song, which, to him, sounded like a dozen kittens being violently shaken to the tune of a tribal sacrifice.

Growling, he jammed the power to the radio off. Better off having to listen to the racket coming from outside than any of that drivel.

Unbeknownst to him, Lark had been watching him from the back seat the entire time. She smiled inwardly at his attempts as she took a book from her bag and began idly reading. There was enough light out to read in relative comfort.

They both sat in silence for the next fifteen minutes, the car going at speeds reminiscent of somebody in the back of a very long queue. Eventually, Ace had had enough.

"Blast it...this is taking far too long." He sighed in frustration. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he quickly hit the speed dial.

Snipe and Ravess were lounging on her couch, both seemingly engrossed in their respective handheld consoles. Ravess didn't like waiting that much, really- it was an irritating feeling of do-nothing. An itch that couldn't be scratched no matter how much she wanted to. Attempting to turn her attention back to her game, she'd found she'd already died twice more to basic enemies in her absent-mindedness. So much for that.

Before too much longer, her brother finally spoke up. "Hey, Ravess?"

"What is it, Snipe?" She replied grumpily. She'd yet to bother looking at him.

"Where are Lark and Ace at?" Was he actually curious?

"I don't know. Why ask me?"

Snipe gave a conspiratorial look around."Well...are you sure they're not... you know..."

Ravess cocked an eyebrow, finally turning her head to him. "You are NOT implying what I think you are."

He smirked. "Damn straight I am."

Ravess rolled her eyes. She considered on whether or not to explain to her dimwit brother on why that would never happen. On one hand, it really wasn't her business to tell. On the other hand... his reaction. It would be PRICELESS. In short order, the proverbial devil on her shoulder won out on that argument. Mildly clearing her throat, she decided on the direct approach.

"Snipe, she's bent," she stated.

Paydirt. The look on his face was something she'd cherish for years. "Seriously!? Did she tell you? How'd you find out!? Details, woman!"

She grinned. "Remember when you went to the bathroom on the first day?"

"Yeah?"

"She told us she'd like to bang Suzi-Lu. In so many words." Ravess remembered as if it were yesterday- which was to be expected, as it only happened a week ago.

* * *

><p>Lark had been explaining to her that she never got to leave the house (not that she wanted to, really), except on rare occasions. Ravess couldn't believe her ears.<p>

"So let me get this straight," Ravess started. "You've never left the mansion. No parties, no drinking, no video-games, not even any friends? Nothing?"

"No." The answer was simple and plain.

Ravess still couldn't wrap her head around it. "God, Lark. What kind of life is that? Have you never even had a boyfriend? A crush?" Her eternally jovial mood had quickly ground to a halt, and was replaced with sympathy for the girl... sympathy which was soon to go out the window an instant later.

"Correct." Lark replied evenly.

Dark Ace, while not actively joining in the conversation, was listening intently. This was interesting.

Ravess didn't let up. "We're gonna have to fix that." She looked around the cafeteria, mentally scanning and discarding potentials, until she at last found what she was looking for. "Okay, see those guys over there?" She asked, pointing to the hockey team's table.

"...Yes." Lark was still not sure where Ravess was going with this.

"Pick one." Ravess's grin had begun to return.

"Why?"

Ravess sighed, electing to explain further. "If you could have your way with anyone on that table, who would it be?"

Surprisingly. Lark didn't take more than a second to consider her answer as she instantly pointed to her choice.

Unfortunately, due to the angle she was standing, Ravess couldn't tell who she was pointing at. "Who? The big guy on the left?"

Lark shook her head. "Next to him."

"The equipment manager? That guy?" Why would she...

And then she shook her head. "Other way." She said. Her voice held the tiniest hint of humor.

Shifting her gaze, Ravess looked to the boy in question. Oddly small, very lithe, but athletic...and her face...

It was then she realized the most important detail. It wasn't a boy- and from how quickly and confidently she had pointed, it wasn't one of those "I thought she was a dude," mistakes either. Suzi-Lu was pretty tomboyish, true, especially considering she was the leader of a team full of gigantic meat-heads. But she was distinctly feminine in...other ways. It took a second for her brain to process the information, and she still decided that confirmation was the best course of action.

"S-so wait. You ARE talking about the girl with the purple hair, right?"

"Yes." Lark hadn't faltered once.

Ravess, who up until now was having trouble comprehending the idea that the girl in front of her was in fact, a lesbian, soon sprouted a cheeky smile. She turned to Dark Ace, who, unsurprisingly, appeared totally unfazed.

"Guess this means your chances of wooing her are pretty slim now, huh?" She teased.

"I never had any interest in "wooing" her to begin with," he replied without missing a beat. "No offense."

"None taken." Lark had even smiled a bit.

* * *

><p>"And he wasn't upset about it?" Snipe asked.<p>

Ravess shook her head. "Oddly, no. I thought he had the hots for her. Apparently not."

"Maybe he's bent too." Snipe joked- this had caused both of them to burst out in laughter. Despite them being constantly fighting siblings, they did have their moments like this, and she was glad for them.

That moment was cut short, however, by the sound of ringing.

Ravess scooped the phone from her pocket and hit the Answer button in one smooth motion. "Hello?"

"Ravess, it's me."Speak of the devil.

"What's up, Ace?" She asked cooly, trying to keep her giggles down.

"The traffic. We've been here for at least twenty minutes, and it feels like we haven't moved a mile. We're going to be late arriving." He sounded as apologetic as Dark Ace possibly could; barely.

Ravess was still battling off her case of the chuckles. "No problem. We literally have all night."

"Alright. We will see you when we're there." And with that, he hung up.

Ravess sighed, turning to her brother. "They're going to be late. Apparently it's the traffic."

Snipe groaned. "What a drag. Good thing we didn't cook anything yet."

Ravess' eyes narrowed. "You mean you forgot to cook the food."

He shrugged. "Hey, it worked out, didn't it?"

"Go cook the food. Now."

Sometimes, they had their moments.

But most of the time? Not so much.

**I am truly the messiest author on this website. Sorry about the flashback.**


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